Aboriginal community-controlled art centres: Keeping Elders strong and connected. Articulating an ontologically situated, intergenerational model of care

Abstract

Objective: To articulate how Aboriginal community-controlled art centres support the role of Elders and older people within an ontologically situated, intergenerational model of care.

Methods: In this paper, we draw on stories (data) generated through interviews involving 75 people associated with three Aboriginal community-controlled art centres and field notes taken during a Participatory Action Research (PAR) study. The study was undertaken in collaboration with three community-controlled art centres and two aged care providers over almost 4 years, in diverse Indigenous sovereignties, all located in geographically remote Australian locations.

Results: Engaging with decolonising and Indigenous theoretical frameworks, our analysis identified three interwoven meta-themes. These include connection to law and culture; purpose; and healing. Each theme had important subthemes, and all were central to upholding the well-being of older people and their families, as well as the art centre workforce, Country, and their broader communities.

Conclusions: Our analysis articulates an ontologically situated model of care within Aboriginal community-controlled art centres. The model sees that older people receive care from art centres and provide care to each other, to younger generations, to art centre staff, to Country, and to their broader communities. In this model, those in receipt of care, many of whom are older people, art centre directors, and important artists, govern how care is conceptualised and delivered.

Keywords: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples; Australia; First Nations; Indigenous; art centres; decolonising; intergenerational; model of care; older people; participatory action research.